Friday

Oct 12, 2018 at 12:39 AM

Black Joe Lewis brings a primal power to his rock and blues that is exceedingly rare these days. While he's cited Howlin' Wolf and James Brown as two major influences, and they certainly are, we'd add the late Johnny "Clyde" Copeland, another guitarslinger whose raw passion and 'swing for the fences' vocal style was unforgettable.

Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears just released their fifth studio album, "The Difference Between You and Me," and their current tour brings the Austin, Texas, septet to Great Scott in Allston on Monday night.

While Lewis' powerpacked vocals and blazing guitar are a focal point in the band, the Honeybears also include a three-man horn section, so the effect is always a mind-blowing combination of gutsy blues and rock, and also soaring soul anthems and funk workouts. The latest album also incorporates the 'hill country blues' style, best embodied by the late Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside, and that deep, juke joint style permeates most of "The Difference Between You and Me."

The band's latest album features lyrics of a more introspective nature, questioning their place in the musical firmament after a decade or more of heavy touring. That might be most apparent in songs like "Nothing But A Cliche," which sounds almost like an inner monologue, questioning the character of some of the people around you, over a deep blues-rock arrangement that could remind some fans of early Led Zeppelin. The steamy soul groove of "Face in the Scene" depicts the silliness, and futility of music scenesters. Meanwhile, the brash soul-rock march "No Rhyme or Reason" is a curveball, as its lyrics are mostly looking inward.

Going deeper into the 13-cut record, "Some Conversations" is crafted as a deep roadhouse blues vibe, but with jittery slide guitar lending a special immediacy. "Culture Vulture" is the first single, and a real showcase for Lewis' genre-expanding style. The tune begins with his high-end vocal howls, and then transitions into a sort of midtempo hybrid that offers what seems like an indie-rock approach to rhythm and blues.

"Suit or Soul?" could be the most finely distilled piece of Lewis music on the disc, with lyrics that examine what and who in your life is really worthwhile, as the driving soul-rock arrangement offers what you'd get had vintage Johnny Copeland ever sung with the latter-day Temptations. There's a marked departure from that kind of momentum to the static groove of "Handshake Drugs," an enervating sort of midtempo number where the frustration portrayed in the lyrics is emphasized by the way the music stays at one place, enhanced by harmonica accents. That kind of rock-steady groove is of course a hallmark of folks like Burnside and Kimbrough, where the almost drone-like arrangement frames some of the most inventive guitar work.

That same "hill country" flavor is inherent also in "She Came On To Me," a slower song in the same style, which, for fans unfamiliar with those other artists, might seem reminiscent of the North Mississippi All Stars with its gutbucket droning. As if to resolve that previous number, "Do Yourself In" comes next, with one of the most kinetic, rapid-fire tempos on the whole record.

There's a certain John Lee Hooker feel to "Hemmin' and Hawin'," a throbbing blues that pivots off a repetitive rhythmic hook, but then the horn section arrives to widen the arrangement into something more contemporary and no less compelling. The few instances of slide guitar on this record are marvelous, none more so than on the vibrant romp "Girls on Bikes."

Rock fans will gravitate to "Gut Feeling," which rides an arrangement that flat out kicks butt, while Lewis uncorks one of his most mind bending guitar solos. Not conventionally trained, and mostly self-taught on his axe, Lewis can be one of the most unpredictable and exciting players anywhere, with a sense of wild abandon to his guitar work that literally makes it feel anything could be around the corner. After that torrid workout, the album concludes with "Blue Leather," which might seem like the smoothest of smooth soul ballads, but takes a decided left turn, and features a bridge that seems to transform the whole melody into something strange and wonderful, before careening back to its core. "Blue Leather" could aptly be termed Stax-Volt soul taken to the space age.

The new album was produced in Austin by Stuart Sikes, who also produced "Backlash" by the septet last year. Sikes, a Grammy winner, has been widely known for his work with The White Stripes, Cat Power, and Modest Mouse, among others.

We had hoped to ask Lewis about these songs and other things, but they had travel issues going into Toronto this week, and we couldn't connect.

Like many of us, Lewis grew up listening to his parents' music, and in his case his father had an extensive collection of rock, soul, and hip-hop. But it was not until young Lewis was working a job in a pawn shop that he began making music himself. Lewis bought himself one of the guitars coming through the shop, and began learning how to play in his spare time. Before long, he was playing small clubs around Austin with his own band. Lewis had been fascinated by the blues, so in those earliest days, his gigs mostly consisted of playing covers by blues icons like Howlin' Wolf, Hooker, Magic Sam, Little Walter, and of course fellow Texan Lightning Hopkins.

The first record from the young guitarslinger was "Black Joe Lewis and the Cold Breeze" in 2005, and by 2007 his eponymous follow up appeared, and his backing band became the Honeybears. Both of those first two albums were on a small Italian label, but the style was so electric that the band's profile began rising nationally, and they went on to open national tours for Spoon, and then Okkervil River. By 2008, Lewis and his group were signed to Lost Highway Records, a prominent indie label, and they were playing gigs like the Lollapalooza Festival, and the Austin City Limits Festival. Subsequently, they've appeared on all the major festival lineups, like Bonnaroo, and have toured internationally.

Lewis has long been noted for his unvarnished approach to lyrics as well as performing. One early hit for them was "Get Yo' (stuff)," a crackling blues-rocker which portrays a fellow who does everything wrong with his romance, is on the verge of being evicted by his lady, and then has to skedaddle when another man arrives, irate over yet another infraction. It's both a classic blues situation updated, and a sly parody of the form, delivered with humor and verve.

Lewis' lyrics sometimes tell a story like that, but more often unfold in impressionistic glimpses, sketches of situations and the feelings they evoke. But the musical arrangements are always compelling, and last year's "Backlash" album had some stellar examples, like the wickedly adrenalized soul march "PTP," and the Stax-Volt update "Nature's Natural." But even in that 2017 album, it was also obvious Lewis was starting to ponder deeper subjects, as "Maroon" sounded like a candid self-examination. As Lewis' skill as a songwriter continues to grow and expand, his music becomes even more intriguing, and thankfully, that sense of raw passion is still intact.